I'm watching Bush lie to the American public. This quote from an Atrios commenter is perfect:

i can't watch. his voice makes me want to kill puppies. and i like puppies.

Me too.

Good God, he is babbling about the Yew-nited Nations. And he has said "hard work" at least twice now.

Fuck the middle class. Building a nest egg that the Government can't spend. Think he ever saw Lost in America?

posted at 6:28 PM by Sid the Fish
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"The time has come that the American people know exactly what their Representatives are doing here in Washington. Are they feeding at the public trough, taking lobbyist-paid vacations, getting wined and dined by special interest groups? Or are they working hard to represent their constituents? The people, the American people, have a right to know...I say the best disinfectant is full disclosure, not isolation."

 

-- Tom DeLay, November 16, 1995

posted at 7:38 AM by Sid the Fish
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Michael Bérubé plants tongue firmly in cheek and reports from Vatican City:

Ratzinger selected as new pope; promises to end "reign of tolerance"

“Stifling debate is not necessarily a bad thing,” said one source close to the new Pope. “It invigorated the Church during the Counter-Reformation, and it could really revitalize us now. Today’s young people, especially, are looking for a Church that will not give in to the dictatorship of relativism, but will remind them, by means of both spiritual and corporeal discipline, that the Holy Father knows best. We’re expecting a stampede to the youth groups.”

Ah yes, youth groups. Like this one (which, alas, is not tongue-in-cheek):

The son of a rural Bavarian police officer, Ratzinger . . . joined the Hitler Youth aged 14, shortly after membership was made compulsory in 1941. He quickly won a dispensation on account of his training at a seminary. “Ratzinger was only briefly a member of the Hitler Youth and not an enthusiastic one,” concluded John Allen, his biographer.

Glad I'm not a Catholic anymore.

(I was trying to come up with a good comparison between Ratso and JP2, but The Talent Show beat me to it.)

posted at 3:00 PM by Sid the Fish
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All the coverage of this week's NRA conference has focused on Tom DeLay's despicable remarks about how much he enjoys having his heavily armed friends around. But this quote from dinosaur-rocker Ted Nugent was much scarier:

Earlier in the day, rocker and gun-rights advocate Ted Nugent took the stage waving an assault rifle in each hand. He urged association members to be "hardcore, radical extremists demanding the right to self-defense" and to work daily to recruit new members.

"Let's next year sit here and say, 'Holy smokes, the NRA has 40 million members now,' " he said, adding that NRA members should only associate with other members. "No one is allowed at our barbecues unless they are an NRA member. Do that in your life."

Yes. Praise Jesus. Wouldn't it be great if every churchgoing, God-fearing man, woman, and child carried an assault rifle to school, to church, to the grocery store, to the Little League game? Be sure to spread these two pictures around (the first one is from a talk at the 2004 NRA annual meeting, entitled "God, Guns, and Rock 'n' Roll"; the second is from this year's NRA meeting):

Ted Nugent was elected to a three-year term on the board of directors of the NRA in 2001. Here are a few choice quotes from his public utterings:

On South Africans:
"Apartheid isn't that cut and dry. All men are not created equal. The
preponderance of South Africa is a different breed of man. I mean that with
no disrespect. I say that with great respect. I love them because I'm one of
them. They are still people of the earth, but they are different. They still
put bones in their noses, they still walk around naked, they wipe their
butts with their hands … These are different people. You give 'em
toothpaste, they fucking eat it ... I hope they don't become civilized.
They're way ahead of the game."
--Detroit Free Press Magazine

On Racism:
"I'm a fun guy, not a sexist or a racist…. I use the word nigger a lot
because I hang around with a lot of niggers …."
--Detroit Free Press Magazine

On Hillary Clinton:
A "Toxic cunt … This bitch is nothing but a two-bit whore for Fidel Castro."
--Westworld Newspaper

On Dating:
" I met a couple guys in line yesterday who go, 'Write something to my
girlfriend, she won't let me go hunting.' I wrote her something and I said,
'Drop dead, bitch.' What good is she, trade her in, get a Dalmatian. Who
needs the wench?"
--WRIF FM Radio, Detroit, Michigan

On the Confederate Flag:
" Those politically correct motherfuckers can take the flag down but I am
going to wear it forever."
--The Fort Worth Star-Telegram

On homosexuality:
A "despicable act" performed by "guys that have sex with each other's anal
cavities."
--Hannity and Colmes

Oh, and his music sucks too.

By the way, the TedNugent.com message board is like a heavy metal version of Free Republic.

posted at 1:35 PM by Sid the Fish
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As you may recall, BillMon took a long break from blogging last year. Eventually he returned, with a radically different style and a renewed energy.

I think I'm doing the same here. Without the insane popularity, of course.

During the next few months, posting will be extremely sparse while I recharge my political batteries. Apologies in advance to my six loyal readers.

posted at 8:28 AM by Sid the Fish
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posted at 8:24 AM by Sid the Fish
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Via Atrios:

NYT:

WASHINGTON, April 5 - The wife and daughter of Tom DeLay, the House majority leader, have been paid more than $500,000 since 2001 by Mr. DeLay's political action and campaign committees, according to a detailed review of disclosure statements filed with the Federal Election Commission and separate fund-raising records in Mr. DeLay's home state of Texas.

Most of the payments to his wife, Christine A. DeLay, and his only child, Dani DeLay Ferro, were described in the disclosure forms as "fund-raising fees," "campaign management" or "payroll," with no additional details about how they earned the money. The payments appear to reflect what Mr. DeLay's aides say is the central role played by the majority leader's wife and daughter in his political career.

Mr. DeLay's national political action committee, Americans for a Republican Majority, or Armpac, said in a statement on Tuesday that the two women had provided valuable services to the committee in exchange for the payments: "Mrs. DeLay provides big picture, long-term strategic guidance and helps with personnel decisions. Ms. Ferro is a skilled and experienced professional event planner who assists Armpac in arranging and organizing individual events."

"Valuable Services?" true enough:

United Parcel Service provided a chartered flight between Washington and Las Vegas for between 50 and 60 people--including lobbyists, top aides and political supporters--at DeLay's request, according to a company spokesman. DeLay flew separately on a Federal Express corporate jet. Lobbyists with the National Association of Manufacturers, the D.C. law firm Verner, Liipfert, Bernhard, McPherson and Hand, and the National Association of Convenience Stores were among those present for the weekend.

The weekend included a late-night party Saturday in DeLay's suite at the Rio Hotel and Casino, which featured a living room, bar and hot tub on the balcony. DeLay was not present, aides said; the event was hosted by his daughter, Dani Ferro, the campaign manager for DeLay's reelection campaign. After the party, Ferro told associates that a lobbyist poured champagne on her while she was in the hot tub.

And from a commenter:

It's James Brown's Celebrity Hot Tub Party! And now, here he is - the Godfather of Soul, and hot tub man number one - James Brown!

"Sometimes it make me break out in a cold sweat!
One two three four!

Hot tub! Ha! Da!
Ah, full of water!
I say hot tub! Ha!
Day! Ba! Very, very hot. Very hot! Da!
Hot tub! Gonna get ya hot-a!
Gonna make ya sweat! Hey! Say!
Hot tub! Rub a dub in the hot tub!
Rub a dub with me!

Should I get in the hot tub?
(Yeah!) Will it make me sweat?
(Yeah!) Should I get in the hot tub?
(Yeah!) Will it make me wet?
(Yeah!) Well, well, well..

Hot tub! Ah!
Get in!
Gonna get in the water!
Gonna make me sweat! Ah!
Here I go in the hot tub!

Hhhhhiiiigggghhhh!!!

Too hot in the hot tub! Ma!
Burn myself!
Make it cooler!
Good God!
Gonna make me..

I'm gonna get in the hot tub..
I'm gonna get in the hot tub..
I'm gonna get in the hot tub..
Ha! Lilin! Lidilin! Eh!
A gonna make me sweat-ah!
Dah! Gonna make me sweat!
Gonna make me sweat-ah!
Dah! Gonna get me in the hot tub!
I can't stand it!
Here I go! I can't stand it!

Here I go in the hot tub!
Gonna get in the hot tub!
Gonna get it wet-ah!
Good God!
Hhhiiigggghhhhh!!! Ha!
Good God!
Rub a dub!
In the hot tub!
Rub a dub with me!
Good God!
Rub a dub in the hot tub!
Gonna set me free!"

Don't go away, we'll be right back with more "Celebrity Hot Tub!"

Announcer: Coming up next: Dr. Joyce Brothers joins James Brown on "Celebrity Hot Tub!"

posted at 7:51 AM by Sid the Fish
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It's good to know that JimmyJeff GannonGuckert, the fake journalist who camped out in the White House Press Room for two years is back in action. Read his latest at WorldNutDaily.

posted at 10:43 AM by Sid the Fish
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